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Mavic Trans Provence 2016 preview

It's back! Enduro the French way. Cuts, crashes, carrying, drones and drama

Benjamin Haworth

It’s that time of year when all us UK-based office-dwellers start to get very, very jealous. Jealous of the lucky few who get to ride the Mavic Trans-Provence.

Starting from June 19th prepare yourself for daily videos of lustworthy trails strewn across epic landscapes. Let’s hope this current sunny British weather lasts and we might be able to tolerate these videos a bit better!

The event runs from June 19th until June 24th.

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What is the Mavic Trans Provence?

It’s a week-long enduro stage race set in the French mountains from the High Alps to the Mediterranean Sea. It’s billed as “the original alpine MTB rally”.

>>> Lehikoinen goes rim riding on day five of the Trans-Provence (VIDEO)

It’s been going since 2009 and has a reputation as one of The Must-Do Events to stick on your bucket list. “It is more about the adventure than the time on the clock” as the organisers explain.

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2016’s full course breakdown

  • Start: Embrun
  • Finish: Menton
  • Distance: 271km
  • Climbing: 9177m
  • Descending: 18003m
  • No. of Special Stages: 24
  • 2015 winning time: 02:41:38 (Nico Lau)

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Here’s the Press Release in full…

Go on a holiday, they said…

It’s nearly time for the Original Alpine MTB Rally to head into the wilds of the southern French Alps for the 8th edition of the Mavic® Trans-Provence. For 2016 we are upping the ante once again with more than 18,000 metres of descending – the greatest ever – over the six-day race, taking place June 19-24.

Ever since the inaugural edition of the event we have always stayed true to its spirit. 2016 will be no exception as we venture into hidden valleys and discover barely-ridden singletrack on our journey through this famously remote region. With 18 nations represented, including a host of big-name pros from around the globe, it’s clear that even as this pioneering race format matures, our way of doing things doesn’t seem to be getting old.

As always we will be providing top-quality coverage during the course of the event, with a daily content package sent to you from a team of revered photographers, videographers and journalists. We hope you enjoy the product of much toil and little sleep!